Sanders wins Michigan; Clinton takes Mississippi

US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has won the Michigan Democratic primary while frontrunner Hillary Clinton triumphed in Mississippi.

"This has been a fantastic night in Michigan," Sanders said shortly before the race was called in his favor in Michigan, one of two states holding Democratic presidential nominating contests on Tuesday.

With about 97 percent of the precincts reported, Sanders had 50 percent of the vote to Clinton's 48 percent in Michigan, where 130 delegates are at stake.

“What tonight means it that the Bernie Sanders campaign, the people’s revolution that we are talking about, is strong in every part of the country and frankly we believe that our strongest areas are yet to happen,” said the senator.

“I want to thank the people of Michigan who repudiated the polls which had us down 20-25 points and repudiated the pundits who said Bernie Sanders wasn’t going anywhere,” he added.

Clinton earlier won Mississippi by a wide margin, continuing a spectacular run in southern America where she has so far attracted the large African American vote.

Speaking at an evening rally in Cleveland before the Michigan results were announced, Clinton avoided criticizing Sanders, but slammed Republicans.

“I’m proud of the campaign that Sen. Sanders and I are running. We have our differences as you can see when we debate,” she said.

“Those differences pale in comparison to what’s happening on the Republican side. Every time you think it can’t get any uglier they find a way,” said Clinton. “As the rhetoric keeps sinking lower, the stakes in this election keep getting higher.”